Chris Mabes, a Liberty senior, started coaching youth rec basketball last year. He and his wife Kelsey, also a Liberty senior, felt a call to minister to kids by challenging them to do things they never thought they could.

It’s not an internship, CSER or a class project. This is more grassroots than that.

“Every kid needs to be able to see they are, who God says they are, and if no one tells them that, they won’t believe it,” Chris said.

Basketball provides the opportunity for Chris and Kelsey to show Christ, not just share Him.

“We pray before practice and games, and we take our game MVP to McDonalds and we have the opportunity to share with them that way,” Chris said.

The mentorship and sheer investment by Chris, Kelsey and Eli, a Liberty grad student, has slowly refined some of the rougher edges of the team.

“They’re a lot less selfish,” Chris said. “They understand teamwork. We’d be in a huddle at the end of the game at the beginning of the season, and they’d get mad that they don’t score. Now they’re high fiving each other like, ‘Yeah, man, you got four steals, and it’s good to see them encouraging each other,” Chris said.

The team believing in themselves is just a byproduct of a learned example, demonstrated by Chris.

“I show that through defending them in a game or looking out for their best interest,” Chris said. “I’m not all about winning, but to have fun and to grow into leaders.”

Simply, “he encourages us to win,” Aaron said.

“Yeah,” Bryce said.

“Yeah,” Carlos said.

It’s Liberty students making an impact by taking Christ outside of the classroom.

“In the end,” Chris said, “it comes down to when these kids are loved upon, they respond a lot more. When they do finally buy in to what you’re trying to do, they’ll do anything for you. And I like that I can make an impact.”

“He taught us about life — to not quit. To keep on striving,” Carlos said.